First of all let me start by saying our night started with a terrible dining experience. We were attempting to go to Cheesecake Factory at Crocker Park, and it was a nightmare. The restaurant lot was filled as we were stuck behind a 6 car convoy circling the lot. Then we went to the parking garage and it was full as well, all the way to the top and again we were stuck behind a slow moving convoy. So we ended up parking at Nordstrom Rack on the shopping plaza side of Detroit. We walked 10 mins outside in the blistering cold to Cheesecake Factory after 30 mins of the parking spot search just to find an overflowed lobby of people waiting at 4:30!!!! Why is it so packed at 4:30????!!!! We thought we were arriving just early enough to beat the start of the dinner rush. I hate Crocker Park! This place irks me. So we walked 10 minutes back to our car. I was ready to eat subway or even worms at this point but the wife was set on having pasta for dinner. At this point I'm very irritated but I love my wife so I pulled up the Yelp app and found Stella Mia which I had bookmarked for years. So I said screw it, we will check this place out. So I road rage my way all the way to Stella Mia and arrive already disgruntled and distraught with our dining experience thus far for the evening.
The reason I just mentioned all that was so that you know I was pretty aggravated when I arrived and it would take a lot to have a good night at this point as HANGRY as I was! As I was eating my dinner I literally said "Cheesecake Factory" can suck it! lol. Everything was amazing from start to finish. The Hungarian Stuffed Peppers appetizer were the best stuffed peppers I ever had. I'm usually disappointed almost every time I get this appetizer at almost every place I try it at because the description says hot but never is. These actually had a kick packed with amazing flavors that weren't hidden behind the hotness. It was just a perfect blend of Hot and Flavorful! The salad was very fresh and crispy with a Balsamic Vinaigrette that was so good I had to make sure it was made in house because if not I had to know the brand. I could eat salad everyday with a dressing like that. For our entree we both ordered the Mozzarella Chicken because we are die hard Chicken Parmesan fans. This dish was AMAZING!!!! You can tell the Chicken was actually made there. It was pounded out to a perfect thickness and breaded with a perfect crunch topped with a bed of their sauce and finished with a smothering of melted cheese. The sauce that was used on the Hungarian stuffed peppers, the chicken and the pasta was soooooooooo good!!!
To speak on the experience spectrum of things I have to say what an incredibly attentive and friendly staff. From the moment we walked in we were greeted with a smile immediately and taken to our table. Right away after being seated another server came to ask us what we would like to drink and told us who our server would be. Such a nice touch to have this kind of team work. We have had many experiences where we waited forever and already knew what we were ordering before we even got our drinks. I really like the idea of having somebody provide drinks right away until the server can make it over to the table. "Jayme" was our server and she was awesome! She came over quickly to ask if we had any questions about the menu so far and if we wanted to start with an appetizer so that she could put that in right away for us. She was very friendly, attentive, caring and just perfect really. She always had great timing when arriving at our table to check on us, we always had our drinks full whether it was her or somebody else going around to check on us. Multiple people checked on us. This place just really cares about how people are treated and wants to make sure their dining experience is special. This is why I love finding a hidden gem. Jayme, thank you so much for turning a nightmare of a night into a special one! We will definitely be back and will request you as our server if you are there when we are.
If you want to be treated well and fed well then you have to try this place!! I'm an Elite Yelper but Stella Mia is the real MVP!!